Metro complaints hotline workers down phones
Contract staff on strike over demand for permanent positions in the municipality
The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s service delivery complaints hotline will be shut indefinitely, call centre staff have threatened.
The 32 staff, who have been on strike since Friday, have vowed not to answer the phones until the municipality follows through on its promise to hire them permanently.
Some said they have been temporary workers for 10 years, working on a month-tomonth contract without job security.
On average, they field about 3,000 calls a day from residents with complaints about burst water pipes, blocked drains, clogged sewers and electricity outages.
It is a 24-hour operation split into three shifts, working even on weekends and public holidays.
But since Friday, calls to the service delivery hotline have gone unanswered.
Thulisa Kali, who started working at the call centre in Linton Grange in 2012, said the workers had been fighting for a long time with the municipality to be insourced but nothing had come from it other than legal bills.
Kali said they had reached a point where enough was enough for them.
“We were promised that by January 31 this would be resolved and we would get our letters of appointment with back-pay, but so far nothing has happened.
“Safety is an issue, space is an issue here because I can’t even put my lunch on my desk because we’re so cramped.
“On Friday, we received our one-month appointment letter from Kelly-Quest Recruitment Services instead of the municipality and we felt enough was enough,” Kali said.
Another worker, who did not want to be named, said they were striking because they had exhausted all other avenues, including the SA Local Government Bargaining Council, which had ordered the municipality to insource them.
“By downing tools we took a stance because we’re tired of the injustices here.
“The fact that this municipality does not insource us is a spit in our faces.
“We want to try and at least get benefits such as medical aid because when we’re sick we have to go and lie in government hospitals even though we call ourselves municipal employees,” the worker said.
On Monday, Patriotic Alliance councillor Marlon Daniels visited the call centre workers.
Daniels said that he supported the workers.
“Continue what you’re doing. Stop working.
“Stop working. This thing must be resolved and it must be resolved quickly,’ he said.
“In principle, it is wrong not to be employed permanently. We must turn the heat up.
“The city manager must come to the party.
“In December, they wanted R45m to throw beach parties so never let anybody come and tell you there’s money which is an issue because you’re being paid peanuts going through two different agencies,” he said.
Daniels arranged a meeting with council speaker Buyelwa Mafaya for Wednesday to discuss the possibility of holding a special council meeting to discuss the insourcing of the call centre workers.
Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani said he had been inundated with calls on Saturday that the call centre was dysfunctional as workers had gone on strike.
Bobani said the workers must resume their duties with immediate effect because the strike affected residents, who should not suffer.
“I understand the issues here but we don’t have a budget to immediately insource the workers.
“I am asking our people to resume their duties and be patient because at the end of the month we are going to the adjustment budget and that is when we can budget for them.
“After that as per the council resolution we will insource them,” Bobani said.
EFF councillor Lukhanyo Mrara said: “These people work 24/7.
“They are the backbone of this municipality but it looks like there is a high level of undermining council resolutions by municipal officials because we had resolved to insource these guys.”
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